- Position:
- PhD Candidate
- Phone:
- (+61 8) 9480 3919
- Email:
- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Research interests:
- Conservation genetics
- DNA barcoding
- Phylogenetics
- Phylogeography
- Acacia species
Academic background:
2006 - 2010: Bachelor of Science (BSc), majoring in Botany and Genetics, the University of Western Australia.
2011: Bachelor of Science Honours (BSc Hons) in Botany (First Class), the University of Western Australia. Thesis title: ‘Comparative phylogeography of two Acacia species associated with banded ironstone formations (BIFs): did BIF ranges act as refugia during past climatic changes?’. Supervisors: Dr Paul Nevill, Dr Melissa Millar and Adj Prof Siegy Krauss.
Current Project:
Title: Using whole-genome sequencing for conservation genetics of Western Australian Acacia species.
University: School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia
Supervisors: Dr Paul Nevill, Adj Prof Siegy Krauss, Prof Ian Small (UWA) and Dr Joe Miller (CSIRO)
Description: The ability to sequence entire genomes from species has significantly aided many areas of genetics. However, until recently, the costs involved have prevented whole-genome sequencing being used for conservation, which typically requires sequences from large number of non-model species. Now, with the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, whole-genome sequencing can be considered as a practical alternative to the development of genetic markers.
Whole-genome sequencing has the potential to overcome many of the limitations currently associated with methods in a number of aspects conservation biology, for example DNA barcoding, phylogenetics and phylogeography, and its application in plant conservation has been the subject on increasing interest. Thus far, studies that incorporate whole-genome sequencing into plant conservation are rare, and the methods associated with analysing the massive amounts of sequence data produced have not been well established.
This project aims to investigate the application of whole-genome sequencing in plant conservation by developing chloroplast genome sequences for a number of mid-west Western Australian Acacia species. The production of this kind of sequence data can then be used to develop genomic methods in DNA barcoding, phylogenetics and phylogeography.